Marquette’s Chase Niemi, left, closes in on the end zone as teammate Talon Smith, far right, blocks on the play during a high school football game played against Escanaba at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Oct. 4. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — It’s a tough road to hoe for the Marquette Senior High School football team when it comes to the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs.

The Sentinels were pushed up to MHSAA Division 2 this season, apparently because of an enrollment increase, so even their joining a new conference, the Big North, put them at a disadvantage as the league was designed to draw Division 3 schools together from the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Even a Division 4 school, Escanaba, joined the group to give it seven members.

It’s tough for Marquette players to gain statewide recognition as they’re now placed with the largest schools in the state for The Associated Press Division 1 and 2 awards.

This voting group, what was essentially the AP group, left the Associated Press umbrella with the awards now called the Michigan Sports Writers Division 1-2 All-State football team that was released on Monday.

The players and coaches honored are led by the Division 1-2 Player of the Year, future University of Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood of Belleville, the same player who recently created a stir nationally when he changed his commitment from LSU to the Wolverines. Apparently, U of M alumnus and all-time NFL great Tom Brady was involved in convincing him to switch.

Marquette’s Talon Smith, left, and Noah Wautier enter the field with the rest of the Sentinels for their homecoming game against Escanaba at the William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Oct. 4. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

So it has to be quite an honor for the All-Upper Peninsula lineman of the year — specifically called the Mitchell Snyder Lineman of the Year — to also make Second Team all-state with this rarified group.

That’s the Sentinels’ Talon Smith, the younger — but not “little” — brother of the Mitchell Snyder lineman award’s previous recipient, Dasan Smith. Talon isn’t little, or even littler, than his brother as each has been measured at 6-foot-6 and either 280 or 290 pounds.

And by this fall, each will be attending and playing football at Central Michigan University.

Dasan is already there, having graduated from MSHS earlier this year, while Talon is set to be a 2025 Marquette grad and is also bound for the Chippewas’ Mid-American Conference football team.

Each has been an anchor in head coach Eric Mason’s trenches on both offense and defense, so the coach might be the person who misses them both the most. Well, maybe just about everybody except mom Angela Abbott and dad Paul Smith.

“He is a dominant blocker with great feet and athleticism for a player his size,” Mason has previously said in nominating Talon Smith for All-U.P. honors. “He’s hard working and plays with an edge.”

Smith helped the Sentinels finish in second place in the Big North with a 5-1 record and also 6-3 overall. Marquette’s league loss came to Big North winner Petoskey, which was 6-0 and 11-1 overall after a Division 3 playoff run took it through three rounds before bowing out.

Smith actually was voted to the All-U.P. Dream Team as an offensive tackle, while his all-state recognition is as a defensive lineman. Not much difference when it came to his dominance on each side of the ball.

By the way, CMU already has Talon Smith listed on its “CMU Football Class of 2025 Signees Roster” as an offensive tackle, the same position that Dasan Smith is listed on the current Chippewas’ roster.

With Marquette the only U.P. team from the Big North having moved up to Division 2 this year, Smith was the lone player north of Traverse City to make either the All-State, Second Team or Honorable Mention on this list.

Traverse City West junior defensive back Drew Esper made the All-State list, and the next furthest northerly player was linebacker Colter Mahabir of Midland on the Second Team.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 552. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.